The Paper Anniversary
A little shingdig toasting to one year of The Decanterbury Tales.
Paper is the traditional first anniversary gift, intended to symbolize the blank slate of a new marriage and the idea of writing your own story together. The modern interpretation of this gift often suggests clocks, symbolizing the time you’ve spent together and the time ahead.
Having started The Decanterbury Tales merely a year ago has brought many feelings. When they say the hardest part (of any endeavor) is getting started, it couldn’t have been truer with this Substack. I had danced around for a long while before saying screw it (!) and writing that first damn post. I’m so pleased I did — I didn’t realize how much I had missed regularly writing until I closed my eyes and hit publish.
I’ve always been a creative person, but my writing had often felt aimless and unmoored. Since kickstarting a bean counting career in New York City, I’ve collected many riveting and memorable experiences, all yearning to be told. Only once I wrote them out, my thoughts would emerge chaotic and disorganized — too much telling, hardly any showing. I had much to share, but no foolproof way of capturing it eloquently. Little did I know my journey in wine would not just enrich my mind and palate but also allow me to tell stories in the way I had always dreamed of doing. The key was finally finding the topic — wine! — upon which to anchor my writing. The tastings I’ve curated have become the structured vehicles for my creativity — with parameters to keep things interesting.
Thirty Substack posts later (this being 31), it turns out I’ve had a lot to say and many ways to channel it all. Whether they were ruminations (9), elaborately executed tastings (16, including 5 Wine Wednesdays at Perquín), or travel guides (1), it has been incredible to have a real “home” for it all. No reservations — just me typing away at my latest ideas and obsessions.
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THE CONCEPT
In thinking about this first milestone for The Decanterbury Tales, there were many “numbers” I wanted to incorporate into this anniversary tasting. I included wines from 2010 and 2017, two vintages that have great meaning in my life, as they are the years when my husband and I started dating and eventually tied the knot, respectively — anniversaries for an anniversary, so to speak. I also chose to host the anniversary party of Friday, June 13 featuring thirteen-ish varietal/blended compositions as a little hat tip to Taylor Swift’s lucky number, because like her and her artistic storytelling, I love including easter eggs within my tastings. Plus, according to the biodynamic lunar calendar, June 13 is a fruit day, which it considers to be the most auspicious of days to drink wine. Combined all this with eighteen wines in total, a number often considered auspicious in East Asian and Jewish cultures, and the astrology-adjacent theme is fully embraced.
With this being the Paper Anniversary, it was fitting for me to commission a custom illustration (as I do every holiday season) from New Yorker cartoonist
, whose work I absolutely adore, especially given one of her cartoons had inspired Wine as Horoscopes. She really hit it out of the park, illustrating me “recommending” a wine in the form of an astrological/natal chart at one of my favorite wine bars, La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels. My favorite detail is the single candle on the wall to commemorate the first anniversary of The Decanterbury Tales.In the way I had mocked up my own oenology chart vis-à-vis astrological interpretation, I thought I would reprise the same for this anniversary tasting. For chart construction, I still borrowed the verb-adverb structure from Co-Star, using wines and their related terms as the latter: they describe planets as the “verbs”, while astrological signs are the “adverbs” — e.g., our Sun sign embodying ego and motivations, our Moon sign ruling emotional natures, and our Rising (or Ascendant) sign conveying the energy put into the world.
So, without further ado, here is the tasting (oenology) chart for the anniversary tasting, each planet paired with a wine (or two) along with a key Substack post from the past year.
THE (TASTING) CHART
☉ PINOT BLANC Sun ☀️
My wine tastes are fundamentally as versatile and well-traveled as this variety across wine-growing regions. A Weissburgunder from Rheinhessen seemed the apropos choice to capture my self-proclaimed Sun sign of Pinot Blanc.
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☽ TROUSSEAU (GRIS) Moon 🌙
I experience emotion when I have an opportunity to drink and taste this rare variety. My annual Le Grand Prix du Trousseau Gris tasting profoundly celebrates this, as its conception deeply reflects my wine personality.
We celebrated my Moon sign not only with a magnum of my be-all, end-all Trousseau Gris (with skin-contact from the Russian River Valley) by one of my favorite producers, but one from 2017 — the exact bottling that remains the first Trousseau Gris I had ever tried.
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↑ SAVAGNIN Rising 🙌
I seem as idiosyncratic as this curious variety from the Jura, which can appear Sherry-like (vin jaune); sweet and concentrated (macvin or vin de paille); as well as dry and full-bodied as sparkling (crémant) or still (ouillé or sous voile). To secure its full range of existence, I selected these bookends:
Earlier this year, I began popping up monthly in collaboration with Adam Sachs of Zev Rovine Selections (ZRS) during Wine Wednesday at Perquín, so showcasing a classic ouillé-style (topped up) Savagnin from ZRS’s portfolio was befitting. Winemakers Céline and Steve Gormally produce some of my favorite wines from the Jura region of France — they are the masterminds behind Les Dolomies, a label represented by ZRS.
I also offered two subsequent side quests:
a Côte du Jura of Chardonnay harvested from Croix Sarrant, the same parcel used for the Savagnin from Les Dolomies (making for a noteworthy horizontal); and
a skin-contact Savagnin from the appellation of Fully in Switzerland, produced by Matthias Orsett, a winemaker who trained in the Jura with Emmanuelle Houillon and Pierre Overnoy. Another cool tie-in: Matthias is part of ZRS’s portfolio as well!
Les Dolomies Savagnin plus its additional side quests
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☿ PINOT NOIR Mercury 💬
I communicate my mindset in wine through grasping the breadth of Pinot Noir all over the world, in both sparkling and still realms. While I stretch this exploration with a subsequent side quest of sparkling Blanc de Noirs from Lombardy, I return to familiar favorites with a Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir rosé (one I would gift to novices, wine geeks, and rosé skeptics alike) and a West Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir cuvée dedicated to the winemaker’s daughter (a tribute to the mixtapes my late father recorded for me).
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♀ MÉTHODE CHAMPENOISE Venus 💖
I love sparkling wines made in the traditional method, whether it be from Champagne or elsewhere. One of my go-to elsewheres is the Lombardy region known for Franciacorta, Italy’s unofficial answer to Champagne. There is a newer contingent of winemakers (e.g., Nicola Gatta and Alessandra Divella) dedicated to the traditional method but have chosen to declassify their wines outside the Franciacorta DOCG resulting from more thoughtful choices in the vineyard and cellar that may not adhere to the appellation’s strict regulations.
For Venus, I spotlight two powerhouse sparklers:
a Lombardian Blanc de Blancs made from a solera comprised of 2014 through 2019 vintages (2014 in honor of the year I moved to Jersey City and 2019 for when I met RogueVines for the first time) and was disgorged in January 2024 (i.e., same year I started The Decanterbury Tales and took that life-changing trip to Sonoma with RogueVines); and
a 2017 Sonoma Coast sparkling rosé from two of RogueVines greatest hits — fruit from Charles Heintz Vineyard and vinification by Michael Cruse under his Ultramarine label — with a deliberately late disgorgement during December 2024!
I also offered another side quest with another sparkling wine from Alessandra Divella — her Blanc de Noirs for a couple comparison points: Chardonnay versus Pinot Noir as well as solera versus vintage sparkling wine.
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♂ NEBBIOLO (& BEYOND) Mars 💪
I take action through introducing everyone I know and meet that great Nebbiolo need not come exclusively from Barolo and Barbaresco. While I did pick an unusual Nebbiolo for the festivities, I also embraced the “and beyond” sentiment here by going off the beaten path. For Mars, I went with these esoteric finds:
a Portuguese red Palhete (farmers’ style) blend inspired by an 800-year-old recipe thought to be the original co-fermented wine (a hat tip to my first private gig themed around a 1965 bossa nova jazz standard for lovely summer drinking); and
a Caberlot (crossing of Merlot and Cabernet Franc) from Tuscany by its only producer in the world, grown exclusively at their estate (akin to opera’s origins in Italy and being of its own kind);
a Sforzato (dry, passito-style wine) from Valtellina made from Chiavennasca (Nebbiolo) grapes that have been dried via passito method (see next item) and fermented dry, while incidentally pairing well with dark chocolate; and
a sweet passito rosé from Sicily made from Frappato grapes planted during 1995 in the area of Licodia Eubea) that have been dried via passito method of drying out grapes on straw mats after harvest and vinified as (likely) the first ever sweet expression of this grape (given that Frappato is usually made as a dry wine).
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♃ ANDALUCÍA Jupiter 🌿
I expand my wine worldview through this region’s mind-blowing range of winemaking history, from its fortified tradition to the renascent vinos de pasto. Although not from Andalucía proper, this non-sparkling Blanc de Noirs from the Cucamonga Valley in California’s South Coast is a direct-pressed blend of Palomino (Andalucía’s prized variety), Zinfandel, Grenache, and Mataro (Mourvèdre). The Blanc de Noirs aspect of this still wine underscores the diametric nature of artist René Magritte’s compositions explored in Sipping Surrealism.
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♄ BOURGOGNE BLANC Saturn 🫡
I discipline myself in conceding my own limitations surrounding wines which I’ve struggled to love, namely white Burgundy with heavier malolactic fermentation. Instead, I pivot future hesitations into a challenge — a determined search for white Burgundies striking my preferred balance in viticultural and winemaking choices. Among these include my deep appreciation for Aligoté (as surveyed in the Burgundy’s Third Eye feat. ALIG.O.T.É. tasting) as well as for atypical and innovative practices in the vineyard and winery (as seen with Domaine Bize’s sans soufre bottlings and this Bourgogne Blanc, which both include Pinot Beurot, the local Burgundian name for Pinot Gris).
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♅ BRUNELLO Uranus 💡
This generation innovates with respect for the traditions and appellations that have proceeded them, whether that means championing conventions that are tried-and-true with minimal intervention or “rebelling” in the name of progress and growth. I recognize these attitudes by sharing this 2010 Brunello di Montalcino, the first bottle I had ever ordered from a restaurant list during an excursion to Italy during my mid-twenties. Ah, Baby’s First Bottle (and First Wine Obsession)! My storytelling abilities, journey in wine, and subsequent rabbit holes have long evolved from that moment, leading me, in present form, to The Decanterbury Tales.
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♆ RIESLING Neptune 🔮 + ♇ AMERICAN WINE Pluto ❤️🔥
I dream of diving into the world of Riesling, something near and dear to most wine geeks I know. Well, more that I wish to understand the IYKYK-of-it-all, which isn’t to deny that I’ve had some fantastic Riesling to date (I really have, thanks to my dear friends Neil and Jay as well as many a visit to Terroir). I just haven’t experienced that a-ha moment or click that usually prompts a real nosedive into my next wine-centric rabbit hole.
Also, if I consider what influences this generation of wine enthusiasts, American wine sticks out in my mind. Championing thoughtful winemakers based in the United States has been a longstanding passion of mine, especially those bringing attention to more esoteric varieties that are seldom found stateside, whether that be through committed preservation of old vines, sustainable farming, or deliberate cultivation of rarer indigenous varieties over familiar international ones.
To meld together the two sentiments of the “Unknown” (to me) and the “Known”, I featured American Riesling by winemaker Cody Rasmussen of Desire Lines Wine Co. — a horizontal tasting of three 2022 Riesling wines from distinct American AVAs with very different climates and terroir.
THE MENU
Always an excellent time collaborating with chef Cedric Gayon of Five Tastes on a super flavorful menu incorporating grilling season as summer weather has finally arrived. As usual, he knocked it out of the park with these well-composed courses!
1ST COURSE
garden pea tartlet with mushroom duxelles, mint vinaigrette, & Parmesan brodo veil
2ND COURSE
Scale Market crudo aguachile with cucumber, lime, cilantro, jalapeño, & honeydew
3RD COURSE
early summer skewer with summer vegetables, tomato soy glaze, & basil emulsion
4TH COURSE
Mishima Reserve wagyu tri-tip with stone fruit miso, vine-ripened tomatoes, & aceto balsamic
CHEESE & CHARCUTERIE
Grand platter from Van Hook Cheese & Grocery (serves 20-24) — I specially requested some of my current favorite cheeses: Sneek gouda from Frisian Farms, aged comté, and manchego.
DESSERT
Amarena cherry frangipane tart (made by me; adapted recipe from The Four Horsemen Cookbook)
THE WINEUP
/ June 13, 2025 @ Paulus Hook, Jersey City /
Alessandra Divella NV Vino Spumante ‘Solera’ [Blanc de Blancs] Dosaggio Zero
Eataly Vino NYC
Super Glou (New York) | 🇮🇹 sparkling white (dég 1/2024)
Chardonnay
The Initial Pour-o-Logue ・oxidative luxury ・ solera stunner
Moritz Kissinger 2022 Weißburgunder Rheinhessen
Leon & Son Wine
Vom Boden (New York) | 🇩🇪 still white
Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder/Weißburgunder)
Wine as Horoscopes ・ Burgundian reduction ・ plush & textural
Desire Lines Wine Co. 2022 Riesling Wiley Vineyard Anderson Valley
Desire Lines Wine Co.
Corkhoarder (New York) | 🇺🇸 still white
Riesling
flinty & flirty ・ jasmine bouquet ・ Bosc in bloom
Desire Lines Wine Co. 2022 Riesling Cole Ranch Mendocino County
Desire Lines Wine Co.
Corkhoarder (New York) | 🇺🇸 still white
Riesling
energetic elevation ・ ginger peach tea ・ orange apricot preserves
Desire Lines Wine Co. 2022 Riesling ‘Kabi’ Massa Vineyard Carmel Valley
Desire Lines Wine Co.
Corkhoarder (New York) | 🇺🇸 still white
Riesling
Kabi Kabi chameleon ・ citrus blossom granita ・ savory pastry pal
Vin Noé 2022 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Alibi #5’
Leon & Son Wine
Terrestrial Wine Co. (New York) | 🇫🇷 still white
Aligoté / Pinot Blanc
Burgundy’s Third Eye ・ underdogs of Bourgogne Blanc ・ vibrant constellation
Simon Bize 2020 Bourgogne Blanc ‘Les Champlains’
Jersey Wine & Spirits
Grand Cru Selections (New York) | 🇫🇷 still white
Chardonnay / Pinot Gris (Pinot Beurot)
The (Chisa) Bize’s Knees ・ reductive & round ・ concentrated curio
Les Dolomies 2022 Vin de France ‘Croix Sarrant’ Savagnin
Leon & Son Wine
Zev Rovine Selections (New York) | 🇫🇷 still white
Savagnin
Wine Wednesday ・ Vincent van Gogh’s Almond Blossom ・ Jurassic joy
Los Angeles River Company 2023 ‘Disco Essence’ [Blanc de Noirs] Cucamonga Valley
Leon & Son Wine
Los Angeles River Company (California) | 🇺🇸 still white
Palomino / Zinfandel / Grenache / Mourvèdre (Mataro)
Ceci n’est pas une dégustation ・ steeped kumquat ・ electric pink
Jolie-Laide 2017 Trousseau Gris Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard Russian River Valley
Jolie-Laide Wines
Bowler Wine (New York) | 🇺🇸 still orange (1.5L magnum)
Trousseau Gris
Fanucchi-O Drift ・ watermelon caprese ・ nectarine & Rainier cherry
Ultramarine 2017 ‘Late Disgorged’ Rosé Charles Heintz Vineyard
Ultramarine Wines
Coeur Wine Co. (New York) | 🇺🇸 sparkling rosé (dég 12/2024)
Pinot Noir / Chardonnay
A Walnut Tree Grows in Guerneville ・ summer rhubarb ・ 7UP!
Hirsch Vineyard 2021 Pinot Noir Rosé Sonoma Coast
Hirsch Vineyards
Hirsch Vineyards (California) | 🇺🇸 still rosé
Pinot Noir
The Love Language of Gift-Giving ・ white strawberry ・ stone fruit & sea spray
Lés-a-Lés 2022 Encostas d’Aire ‘Medieval de Ourém’
Leon & Son Wine
NLC Wines (New York) | 🇵🇹 still red
Fernão Pires / Tinta Amarela (Trincadeira)
So Nice (Summer Samba) ・ chillable & crushable ・ Palhete party
Ceritas 2021 Pinot Noir ‘Cuvée Annabelle’ West Sonoma Coast
Ceritas Wines
Skurnik Wines (New York) | 🇺🇸 still red
Pinot Noir
Mixtape Magic ・ double decant ・ dark fruit & depth
Frescobaldi 2010 Brunello di Montalcino ‘Castelgiocondo’
Wine Library
Kobrand Wine & Spirits (New York) | 🇮🇹 still red
Sangiovese
The Art of Storytelling ・ unfortunately corked ・ lovable castle
Podere Il Carnasciale 2010 Toscana Rosso ‘Carnasciale’
WineBid
Rare Wine Co. (California) | 🇮🇹 still red
Caberlot
A Night at the Opera ・ sui generis ・ wild strawberry & green peppercorn
Alfio Mozzi 2021 Sforzato di Valtellina
Astor Wines
Vinity Wine Company (California) | 🇮🇹 still red
Nebbiolo (Chiavennasca)
Like Wine for Chocolate ・ rich & velvety ・ dry passito
Terre di Giurfo 2023 Terre Siciliane ‘Uniku’ Frappato Passito Rosato
Astor Wines
TBD (New York) | 🇮🇹 sweet rosé
Frappato
Shedding Old Skins ・ cherry mania ・ blue raspberry cotton candy
SIDE QUESTS
Alessandra Divella 2019 Vino Spumante ‘Blanc de Noirs’ Dosaggio Zero
Eataly Vino NYC
Super Glou (New York) | 🇮🇹 sparkling white (dég 1/2023)
Pinot Noir
vinous & vivacious ・ toasted brioche ・ almondine
François Rousset-Martin 2022 Côtes du Jura ‘Croix Sarrant’ Chardonnay
Flatiron Wines
Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant (California) | 🇫🇷 still white
Chardonnay
ouillé & slightly oxidative ・ electric tension ・ Muscadet-like minerality
Matthias Orsett 2022 Vin de Pays Suisse ‘Cuvée Gaspard’ Savagnin
Leon & Son Wine
Zev Rovine Selections (New York) | 🇨🇭 still white
Savagnin
green papaya ・ Swiss Savagnin on the skins ・ spicy marmalade
THE CODA
It was pretty self-indulgent to throw myself an anniversary party for this humble little Substack newsletter. But the chance to throw together charts and fun tie-ins for another elaborate themed tasting? You don’t have to tell me twice! When I started putting together this anniversary tasting, I spent much time reflecting on the tastings I’ve written about on The Decanterbury Tales. While most of their themes have been both concrete (e.g., Aligoté or chocolate pairings) and abstract (e.g., Magritte or opera), I noticed I hadn’t hosted any tastings recently without intersecting the personal (at least, not since Baby’s First… Wineup). Sure, I’ve always been down to share the background and origin stories behind all my tasting ideas, but this anniversary tasting gave me a new chance to revisit that narrative format — one where I would become its ultimate subject.
In case it wasn’t already obvious, one of my favorite posts I wrote this year was Wine as Horoscopes. While it was fascinating to dissect what astrology is all about and how it ties into biodynamic winemaking, I had a ball putting together its hypothetical wineup, one that aligned with the astrological interpretation of a natal chart. I challenged myself to the Inception-esque task of taking those astrological interpretations in wine and pairing them one dimension further with Substack posts from the last year. This let me capture who I am in the world of wine, parameters that were fully up to me and not an arbitrary limitation (e.g., appellation stipulations, food pairing guidelines, the artist’s message, etc.) — resulting in a wineup that profoundly answers, “Who is Two Bottle Stef?”
But if you really want to know the truth: yes, I did all of the above, but I also arranged this wineup as a love letter to the close-knit community of wine enthusiasts here in Jersey City — the folks I feel lucky and privileged to call my dear friends. Their preferences and bêtes noires are plotted onto this ultimate oenology chart, with all their ensuing “horoscopes” read into these featured bottles. To these wonderful souls: thank you for letting me be me. The Decanterbury Tales is only possible with your continued encouragement and curiosity. ♥️
Here’s to one year of The Decanterbury Tales! Can’t wait to share what’s in store élevage for this coming year — many ideas, tastings, events, and collaborations currently in the works, so hope to catch y’all on the flip side very soon. Cheers!
P. S. If you’re keen on drafting up your own oenological chart, I’ve included a blank wheel above for just that. Happy charting! 🤩
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Cheers,
Stefie aka ‘Two Bottle Stef’ 💁🏻♀️✌️🍾